Rep. Elissa Slotkin announces Senate campaign

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) of Michigan’s 7th Congressional District announced a run for the U.S. Senate Monday.

Slotkin said in a post on social media that “we need a new generation of leaders that thinks differently, works harder, and never forgets that we are *public servants*.”

Slotkin is running for Debbie Stabenow’s seat in the Senate. Stabenow announced that she will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of her term on Jan. 3, 2025. Many Democrats, including Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and State Senator Mallory McMorrow, have already said they won’t run, making it easier for Slotkin to clear the field.

Slotkin, a former CIA officer and top Pentagon official, first ran for office in 2018 when she unseated a Republican incumbent to help Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives. She decided to run for Congress after Republicans voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

Slotkin is the first Democrat to announce a campaign for the open Senate seat, and her announcement has opened up another competitive race in the House of Representatives.

Michigan Republicans have only won one of the last 15 Senate elections, and MSU political scientist Matt Grossmann expects a vibrant race in 2024.

“It’s a pickup opportunity that is going to stimulate Republican recruitment,” Grossman said.

State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder has already announced her campaign earlier this month, and former State Senator Tom Barrett said he’s considering running for Slotkin’s congressional seat.

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